The death toll from the three-storey building collapse in Ilorin, Kwara State, has risen to five, with a mother and her four children buried according to Islamic rites.
The building, located at No. 41 Popo Giwa Street, beside Gogoro Mosque, collapsed around 5 a.m. on Tuesday, trapping eight members of the same family beneath the rubble.
The latest fatalities bring the number of victims confirmed dead to five, while the father and two surviving children remain hospitalised and are receiving treatment.
Family members and sympathisers were seen at the scene and residence offering condolences as relatives mourned the victims.
Speaking on the incident, the head of the family, Mr. Lanre Qudus, said the family had vacated the building and agreed to demolish the remaining section after it reportedly failed an integrity test.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Kwara State Technical Committee of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, Bashir Lawal, has called on the state government to conduct a comprehensive audit of buildings across the state.
Lawal said such an exercise would help identify structurally defective buildings and prevent a recurrence of building collapse incidents.
An eyewitness, Abdulganiy Musa, said the father of the family is a serving soldier, while the deceased mother worked as a casual staff member at the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies in Ilorin.
The incident has renewed concerns over building safety and the need for stricter enforcement of construction standards across Kwara State.
